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One drill that I do like to use, however, is the standing backover. I often see many mistakes in the performance of this drill, which lead to bad habits. Before I get to those, here is a video of a standing backover in high-jump.
Now this is a great standing high jump, and the bar clearance is excellent. Notice the timing of the arch through the hips and the drawing in off the feet towards the buttocks. There are times, however, when this drill can lead to bad habits. One variation of this drill that leads to bad habits is standing too close to the bar when it is performed. When this happens, the dynamic chain which leads to successful bar clearance is compromised. This happens because the parabolic curve which the bodies center of mass is much more straight up-and-down then a typical high jump where there is far more horizontal displacement. Standing too close when performing this drill will lead to improper timing in throwing the head back, and bringing the hips and knees up. Here is a video of a good jumper with tremendous leaping ability who stands just a little too close to the bar when performing this drill:
My recommendation for a standing back-over would be to have your feet a distance from the bar that is simliar to where you actually take off from in high jump. Athletes who take off from very far away can move this mark in a few inches or even a foot if they take off from over a meter away. I would also advise those athletes whose best standing jump is less than 1.60m to use a booster box (6-12 inches) when doing this drill. This will help create more similarity between the backover and the bar clearance encountered in the actual jump.
The second aspect I would like to cover when addressing bar clearance is that of rotation. Rotation over the bar is primarily determined by the forces at take-off but can also be influenced by the shortening of the bodies levers over the bar. Proper rotation can be determined by a simple analysis. When the jumper is at their apex over the bar, their total body alignment (if they were to straighten their body) would be around parallel to the ground. Many jumpers who jump with inadequate lean at takeoff, or long levers will be at an angle to the ground, here is a helpful illustration.
This jumper is demonstrating proper bar clearance, and is in a good setup for the hips to clear easiler. This position comes from proper rotation and not just throwing the head back and arching. The next picture demonstrates an improper bar clearance/rotation.
Now here is a very common clearance position for a lot of jumpers who either have not developed their curve and takeoff properly, or just don't have coaches who know better. In this jump, the hips have not reached the high point that the upper back has, because of a lack of rotation. Now rotation can be achieved in two ways. The first is to learn the proper way to run a curve, and not come out of it on the last two steps. It is a common fault to see a jumper come "straight up" on the last two steps of their curve. Once a jumper has effectively learned a curve, they must learn to have short and effective levers in the air. Here is a picture of a jumper who has very short and effective levers in bar clearance.
Linus Thornblad
Here is another picture of a jumper who demonstrates good rotation and bar clearance.
Blanca Vlasic
Notice how she is actually rotated past parallel when she is clearing the bar. I have noticed that in jumpers with longer limbs, sometimes, more rotation is necessary than those with shorter limbs. This makes is possible for jumpers with longer legs to clear the bar more effectively. In closing, here are some tips for helping you or your jumpers clear the bar more effectively.
1. Backovers are an effective drill, but do not focus the marjority of your practice on them
2. The transition from a standing backover to a full high jump can be made easier by doing "running" 2-footed high jumps following standing backover work.
3. Cues such as bringing the feet tighter to the buttocks, spreading the knees apart, throwing the head back, and getting the hips up can all be used in standing and running 2 foot backover drills.
4. A drill that I like is a short approach high jump off of one leg where the coach stands behind the pit and holds up 1-5 fingers with his/her hand. The jumper must then look backwards during the jump and tell the coach how many fingers they held up. This is an advanced variation of the standing drill with holding fingers up.
5. Standing and running high jumps are different motor skills, always keep that in mind. Just because someone can do standing backovers well, does not automatically mean they will be good at the full jump, and don't let a jumper focus on standing backovers just because they are good at them and their standing backover jump makes them feel good about themselves. Focus on their weaknesses.
6. Perfect form in a full-high jump will be clearing the bar by simliar amounts with the shoulders, back, and hips, keep this in mind when a jumper comments on how far their back was over the bar in a given jump.
Finally, on a closing note, realize that sometimes when a jumper rotates too fast, or is not used to their speed of rotation, they may start kicking the bar off with their feet. This happens more often in taller, longer jumpers who need to compensate for the increased rotation with a more powerful foot kick. Work on a good extension of the legs as well as the other factors with these jumpers.
Good luck,
Joel
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